The Island of Missing Trees Audiobook By Elif Shafak cover art

The Island of Missing Trees

A Novel

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The Island of Missing Trees

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma, Amira Ghazalla
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Bloomsbury presents The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, read by Daphne Kouma and Amira Ghazalla.

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
Winner of the 2022 BookTube Silver Medal in Fiction * Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

"A wise novel of love and grief, roots and branches, displacement and home, faith and belief. Balm for our bruised times." —David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue

A rich, magical new novel on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.

Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited—- her only connection to her family’s troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.

A moving, beautifully written, and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history, and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak’s best work yet.©2021 Elif Shafak (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Heartfelt
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Beautiful Storytelling • Historical Depth • Excellent Narrators • Unique Perspective • Emotional Resonance

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I literally just finished listening to this story and I am crying. I’m typing through my tears. How wonderful a story. The accents and differing voices in the narration were wonderful. I won’t spoil anything but I love the humanization of trees and insects. This novel will stick with me for a lifetime and it will quickly come to mind when recommending books to friends and family.

WOW! What a great story and narration!

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This is a good story to discuss in a book club and find out the many views that came out of listening to the story. However, this isn’t my personal cup of tea for an every day listen.

Good book club pick

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I love the many themes in this book that were relatable. What stood out was the “The Cycle of Belonging and Exile”. As an immigrant this resonated. You enjoy being in your adopted country and long for the days of your youth.
Sadly, those days will never return.
You struggle to belong in your new country, yet you aren’t fully accepted. You return home with a different passport and are treated as an exile.
It’s a feeling that will never go away.
I have been recommending The Island of Missing Trees, to everyone I speak to.
Thank you Elif Shafak, for another amazing book.

So Many Themes to Explore

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This is like three novel in one. There is a love story in the middle, a historical story on one end and ecological story on the other. You learn, you feel and you live. Also great writing. Definitely a feast for readers who enjoy great works of literature.

A Fig tree

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Absolutely mesmerizing and beautifully written book about love, war, trauma, healing, nature, death and renewal.

One of the most beautiful books I have listened to

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This was the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. The words and tone of the book were just…lyrical. Beautiful.

Beautiful book

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Heartwarming/heartbreaking story. Narrators are among the best I've heard. Especially poignant now considering the violence between countries whose citizens consider themselves brothers.

Incredible

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there isn't much to to say. it's flawless. would highly highly highly recommend reading.

incredible

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Amazing book and I love everything that Elif Shafak writes. Incredible author. I can’t wait to read more.

The storyline

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It’s rare that I want to read a book after I’ve listened to it but this is one of them. It’s a powerful story of memory, war, love and redemption. When I read it I will hear the wonderful voices of the narrators.

One if the most beautifully written and narrated books

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